FogBlueInSanFran
Well-Known Member
Eric Clapton’s always been a bit of a puzzle to me. I’ve never been moved by his music because it seems like an exercise in creating space for him to insert ridiculously great-sounding licks. I suppose if you wanted (and you shouldn't) you could make the same statement about Hendrix or Van Halen, but Jimi moved you vocally -- with his soul -- and Eddie had David Lee Roth to add a touch of the ridiculous (and a hell of a rhythm section). Like Knopfler or Santana, guitar heroes as effectively solo artists can be great (or mediocre) but sometimes they never really progress.
So while a lot of “Layla, etc.” sounds super tasty, at the end you’re kind of left wondering what the message is here. Here are blues with varying tempos and fills, played with incredible skill, but embedded in songs thematically mundane and uninteresting (“love” as a trope, but one you never feel -- with one exception). And two records worth of them at that. Clapton even says these songs were just “something to play” and while that can be loose and freewheeling, there’s no way a guy this obsessive isn’t going to tinker -- a LOT -- in the studio (which he did of course). It doesn’t make it any better that Clapton has brought in Duane Allman to go toe-to-toe with him -- this makes it even more about them and their talent and less about the music and what it says. This record is the absolute poster child for why I find the Allman Brothers dull, and -- as a counterpoint -- Lynyrd Skynyrd catchy and captivating.
And I made a mistake earlier. This record is 50+ years old. As I played it I realized -- I’m an idiot, I’ve heard a ton of this before. Well, “listened to.” “Heard” I’m less sure of.
Having said all that -- wow, the talent. I mean it’s blistering. The hits -- “Layla”, “Bell Bottom Blues”, “Tell The Truth” and the criminally-underrated “Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad?” -- are pretty freaking mesmerizing, and some of the others are wonderful examples of a craftsman working with wood and strings that go beyond mere mortals. “Layla” is titanic, but I agree with those of you who feel it doesn’t quite fit -- maybe because Eric actually emotes (he’s pretty stressed about her, yeah?), or maybe because he just fucking rocks rather than, errr, blues-es. Whether full blazing-speed or just the little fills, everywhere you listen, Clapton is working in oils like Michelangelo. Even when he isn’t, “I Looked Away” and “Anyday” carry the slide guitar and/or that Hammond about as far as they can go in a rock/blues context as opposed to a country or church one, respectively. But then I get bog-standards like “Key To The Highway” and “It’s Too Late” and “Have You Ever Loved A Woman?” (answer: yes) that literally have innovation factors of 0 despite how good they sound, covers or no. On a double record, there needs to be something more -- more chances taken, more to say.
I can handle Clapton’s voice – it’s modest, which means it doesn’t overwhelm the licks, but it also serves to -- once again -- muddy the emotion that songs about love should IMO carry if we want to feel them. This is the counterpoint to early Dylan -- here the music is all, but the poetry is weak, instead of vice versa. Of course, you could argue blues singers always understate. Fair enough, but if I’m down about getting dumped I prefer the solo piano anyway -- or something like "Thorn Tree In The Garden" (theoretically; in practice that tune was more than a bit crap).
I suppose (not suppose -- KNOW) some will find the simplicity of the theme as charming or winning, or sad or beautiful. Lots have, given its ranking among the all-time great records. But I don’t. Sonically, sure -- top-drawer blues played by one of the best ever. Thematically? I already know love can be a bucket of shit -- next, please.
I’m wavering between scores, but in the end . . . well, that “Goodfellas” scene breaks the tie. 6/10.
So while a lot of “Layla, etc.” sounds super tasty, at the end you’re kind of left wondering what the message is here. Here are blues with varying tempos and fills, played with incredible skill, but embedded in songs thematically mundane and uninteresting (“love” as a trope, but one you never feel -- with one exception). And two records worth of them at that. Clapton even says these songs were just “something to play” and while that can be loose and freewheeling, there’s no way a guy this obsessive isn’t going to tinker -- a LOT -- in the studio (which he did of course). It doesn’t make it any better that Clapton has brought in Duane Allman to go toe-to-toe with him -- this makes it even more about them and their talent and less about the music and what it says. This record is the absolute poster child for why I find the Allman Brothers dull, and -- as a counterpoint -- Lynyrd Skynyrd catchy and captivating.
And I made a mistake earlier. This record is 50+ years old. As I played it I realized -- I’m an idiot, I’ve heard a ton of this before. Well, “listened to.” “Heard” I’m less sure of.
Having said all that -- wow, the talent. I mean it’s blistering. The hits -- “Layla”, “Bell Bottom Blues”, “Tell The Truth” and the criminally-underrated “Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad?” -- are pretty freaking mesmerizing, and some of the others are wonderful examples of a craftsman working with wood and strings that go beyond mere mortals. “Layla” is titanic, but I agree with those of you who feel it doesn’t quite fit -- maybe because Eric actually emotes (he’s pretty stressed about her, yeah?), or maybe because he just fucking rocks rather than, errr, blues-es. Whether full blazing-speed or just the little fills, everywhere you listen, Clapton is working in oils like Michelangelo. Even when he isn’t, “I Looked Away” and “Anyday” carry the slide guitar and/or that Hammond about as far as they can go in a rock/blues context as opposed to a country or church one, respectively. But then I get bog-standards like “Key To The Highway” and “It’s Too Late” and “Have You Ever Loved A Woman?” (answer: yes) that literally have innovation factors of 0 despite how good they sound, covers or no. On a double record, there needs to be something more -- more chances taken, more to say.
I can handle Clapton’s voice – it’s modest, which means it doesn’t overwhelm the licks, but it also serves to -- once again -- muddy the emotion that songs about love should IMO carry if we want to feel them. This is the counterpoint to early Dylan -- here the music is all, but the poetry is weak, instead of vice versa. Of course, you could argue blues singers always understate. Fair enough, but if I’m down about getting dumped I prefer the solo piano anyway -- or something like "Thorn Tree In The Garden" (theoretically; in practice that tune was more than a bit crap).
I suppose (not suppose -- KNOW) some will find the simplicity of the theme as charming or winning, or sad or beautiful. Lots have, given its ranking among the all-time great records. But I don’t. Sonically, sure -- top-drawer blues played by one of the best ever. Thematically? I already know love can be a bucket of shit -- next, please.
I’m wavering between scores, but in the end . . . well, that “Goodfellas” scene breaks the tie. 6/10.
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